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We demonstrate a compact core-pumped 2 microm Tm(3+), Ho(3+)- doped all-fiber laser passively Q-switched with an antimony-based saturable absorber. The 20 ns pulses are the shortest Q-switched pulses from a fiber laser operating beyond 1850 nm and were produced at a repetition rate of 57 kHz and pulse energy of 15 microJ using a short-length (4 ns) cavity. The large absorber modulation depth of approximately 70% together with transient gain compression is shown to provide an efficient mechanism for Q-switched pulse shortening.

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Mode-locked laser operation near 2.05 μm based on a mixed sesquioxide Tm:LuYO3 ceramic is demonstrated. Continuous-wave and wavelength tunable operation is also investigated. Employing a GaSb-based SESAM as a saturable absorber, a maximum average output power of 133 mW is obtained for a pulse duration of 59 fs. Pulses as short as 54 fs, i.e., 8 optical cycles are generated at a repetition rate of ~78 MHz with an average output power of 51 mW. To the best of our knowledge, this result represents the shortest pulse duration ever achieved from Tm-based solid-state mode-locked lasers.

The pulse evolution in Bi-doped soliton fiber laser with slow and fast saturable absorber has been studied both experimentally and numerically. Semiconductor saturable absorbers with balanced slow and fast absorption recovery mechanisms exhibit a bi-temporal recovery dynamics which permits both reliable start-up of passive mode-locking and short pulse generation and stabilization. The pulse dynamics within the Bi fiber laser cavity have been investigated.